View full sizeThomas Boyd/The Oregonian"At first, it was difficult," Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas says of his long wait to play a key role for the Ducks. "Now, at the end of the day, I think it was a good year for me to redshirt, for me to learn the offense and not be thrown out there when I wasn't as smart as I am now."

EUGENE -- When Darron Thomas runs onto the field for Oregon's first possession Saturday against New Mexico, it will have been two years and one day since he made a lasting first impression on a packed house in Autzen Stadium.

Thomas, then a freshman just months removed from Aldine High in Houston, came off the bench to lead a stirring second-half rally against Boise State. The Ducks lost 37-32, but not before Thomas tossed three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter while rallying Oregon from a 24-point deficit.

Some fans were ready to give Thomas the job on the spot, but it didn't work out that way. Transfer Jeremiah Masoli eventually cemented his hold as starter.

In the 24 months since, Thomas has thrown eight more passes in a live game, all in the 2008 season. He redshirted last year, waiting his turn behind Masoli and Nate Costa. This season he had to win the job in a battle with Costa that lasted through fall camp.

Now, at last, the 6-foot-3, 213-pound sophomore has the keys to Oregon coach Chip Kelly's multi-dimensional spread. And he's used the long time away from the field to make himself a better player.

"At first, it was difficult," Thomas said of the wait, especially last year when he was No. 3 on the depth chart. "Now, at the end of the day, I think it was a good year for me to redshirt, for me to learn the offense and not be thrown out there when I wasn't as smart as I am now.

"So, I think it was a good thing."

For all the promise he showed in 2008, Thomas was far from a finished product.

Since fans last saw Thomas in a game, he swallowed his disappointment and channeled his energy into making himself better in every way. He became a weight-room superstar, totaling 1,026 pounds in the power-clean, squat and bench press.

He studied the game, too.

"It was going out and watching Jeremiah, making good plays (in practice), learning," Thomas said. "Coach Kelly just put me on the right path, getting out there, getting mental reps and just learning the game."

The work seems to have paid off. Offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said Thomas has improved as a player in almost every measurable category.

"He has a better knowledge of the offense," Helfrich said. "His release is better. He is better, faster, stronger, more mature. He is better in all the things you want from a quarterback. And he still has a lot of improvement to make on the other end."

If the battle for the job between Costa and Thomas was as even as the coaches claim, Thomas' youth and upside might have tipped the balance.

As it is, he has a stronger throwing arm than Costa, and is more likely to break a tackle.

"I feel he's going do great things," said UO safety Eddie Pleasant, who roomed with Thomas for two years. "I'm looking forward to watching him."

He isn't alone. Nearly 60,000 sets of eyes inside Autzen will be glued to Thomas on Saturday, and many more watching on Comcast SportsNet.

The Ducks have 17 returning starters from last year's Rose Bowl team, and a lot of hopes riding on whether Thomas plays to his potential.

Pleasant has seen a newfound sense of gravity settle on Thomas in the week since Kelly awarded him the job.

"He has taken a different approach," Pleasant said. "He knows he is the guy. He knows everybody is counting on him, looking at him. He knows when you're the quarterback and you're good, fingers are pointed at you. And when you're doing bad, fingers are pointed at you."

It's the nature of the position. Helfrich expects Thomas to make mistakes, but believes his quarterback will be fine as long as he doesn't dwell on them.

"In a good way, he is a critic of himself," Helfrich said. As soon as he makes a mistake, he knows it immediately, and he's frustrated. He needs to hit the clear button and play the next play."

Thomas has had a pair of off-field brushes with trouble in his three years at Oregon. In 2008, he was a passenger in a car driven by Pleasant that was speed racing when it collided with a minivan. This June, he was in the car -- again, as a passenger -- when Masoli was pulled over by Springfield police and cited for marijuana possession.

Thomas wasn't charged either time.

"You have to learn from your mistakes, learn from everybody else's mistakes, like the whole team is trying to do," Thomas said. "I'm not the only one who grew from that. The whole team has."

The truth is, if Thomas produces this season, both incidents will be wrong-place-wrong-time footnotes on his career bio.

It's going to be interesting. Thomas expects the New Mexico defenders, who have postseason honors candidates such as middle linebacker Carmen Messina and sack specialist Jonathan Rainey, to introduce themselves with their pads as soon as possible.

In fact, he hopes they don't wait too long.

"I hope it's the first play to get them jitters out," Thomas said. "Just to know, it's time to play football."